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James Taggart
James Taggart also known as Paladin was a half-Pilgrim, and experienced pilot during the Kilrathi War. Personal Biography Paladin was a native from Ares, his parents Shamus and Delli Bethlyn Taggart were natives of Wick, Scotland.Claw MarksWing Commander Movie, Novel, pg Both were Terriforming engineers and he spent much time on a space station in orbit around Venus.WCM Novel, pg But is rumored to have originally been born on Mimas Colony near Saturn in 2605. James was given the Anglicized version of his father's Gaelic name; James. His parents were Pilgrims. When it was thought he lost his parents in 2613, he was legally adopted by Mikal and Anhel Taggart. James apparently visited his blood parents after that on Ares, Venus where they had moved (under the nose of the Confederation apparently). Little is known about James life during his time he was adopted, and growing up as that information was destroyed by a later Mimite attack. He was a kid when the Confederation discovered the Empire of Kilrah and when he took his commission. Enchanted by the medieval fairy tales, he considered himself a knight-errant and write his own history.WC Movie Novel, pg He used to fly with Shotglass before the Kilrathi War. Commission He later attended the University of Cairo graduating in 2627 with a degree in Physical Science He had been involved with Daniella Kira but she died of medical complications shortly before his graduation. He was admitted into the Space Force OCS that same year. He graduated with honors and subsequently attended Flight School and Counterintelligence School. His first assignment was on the Patrol Carrier Horus in 2629. He was promoted to captain and transferred to Intelligence Services upon the outbreak of the Pilgrim hostilities. He was attached CIS during its duration, record was classified. He was given his own ship, and went undercover as civilian Pilgrim sympathizer and merchant spying for the Confederation. He returned to flight duty in 2635, with rank of LT. Commander. After the war, he requested transfer to exploratory services, and was promoted to Commander simultaneously upon assignment to the Iason in 2637. He was captured by the Kilrathi and held for two years before he escaped, and made it back to the Confederation in 2641 at Tartarus Point. He was debriefed and awarded accrued pay and leave. He also served on board the TCS Tiger Claw during Custer's Carnival.WCM Novel, pg While he was serving on a cruiser, some years before 2654, he had an encounter with Bakhtosh nar Kiranka. At some other time, he encountered Salthis over Accord when he discovered that they always make specific movements. One time, while flying with Dragon of Yellowjacket sqadron escorting a tanker, they encountered Khajja nar Ja'targk, who destroyed the tanker. Pilgrim Uprising He became a Commodore of Terran Confederation Naval Intelligence under Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn. Working undercover as a civilian, Tolwyn gave him an ancient heirloom, a ring kept by his family for 16 generations, which Taggart should show to claim authority in urgent situations. He posed as the pilot of the Diligent on which he carried pilots Christopher Blair and Todd Marshall to the in the Vega Sector. Because of his Pilgrim heritage Taggart had a great knowledge of spatial phenomena and navigation, including ancient relics such as maps. He had also noticed that Blair carried a Pilgrim Cross. Because of the destruction of the Pegasus Station decided to jump the Scylla anomaly directly to the Vega Sector. Minutes before the jump, the Navcom A.I. went offline, and Taggart left the cockpit to make repairs. He managed to get it back on-line while Blair's Pilgrim talents awoke and he instinctively punched calculations to the helm. The Diligent successfully made the jump and met with the Claw in the Enyo system. Blair delivered to Captain Jason Sansky a message from Tolwyn with the orders to proceed to the Charybdis and gather intelligence on the Kilrathi fleet. However Commander Paul Gerald was skeptical on the circumstances the orders arrived and asked a proof that the message was authentic and not a trick to divert the Claw away from its position. Taggart showed Tolwyn's heirloom to Sansky, who immediately recognised it, and proceeded to comply to Tolwyn's orders. However as Charybdis was too far away, Taggart mentioned a class-2 pulsar in the sector which not even the NavCom knew. Gerald mentioned that only Pilgrims jumped pulsars years ago and Sansky admitted that there was no other choice. On their way to the pulsar, Taggart was visited by Blair inquiring about the Pilgrims and Taggart mentioned about their traits which led to the Pilgrim War where Blair's parents were killed. As the Claw approached the pulsar, Taggart brought Blair to the bridge, and instructed Sansky how to navigate the ship, overriding the computer's warnings, as it was not calibrated. Gerald as always is skeptical and asks the Captain to reconsider, but Sansky held his belief in Taggart. Taggart successfully made the jump and arrived to the Ulysses Corridor. When Kilrathi presence was discovered, Taggart disagreed with Sansky to attack the ConCom, warning that it would only make the Claw vulnerable to an attack. Sansky insisted that doing so will slow the Kilrathi and ordered Jeanette Deveraux to lead a strike force, accompanied by Taggart. He flew a Broadsword as 7 of the Baker Wing. Deveraux ordered them to concentrate against a target but Taggart warned her it was a Dorkir supply ship left by the Kilrathi task force that would soon attack the Claw. He had to reveal his true identity and position. Indeed, the Baker Wing changed course and found that the Claw was under attack. After the fighters cleared the Dralthis for the bombers, Taggart and Knight approached. Taggart suggested to wait until they lowered their shield to launch a torpedo, but Knight was shot down. When the battleship was ready to fire again and finish the Claw, Taggart launched 4 torpedoes which totally destroyed the Snakeir, and the remaining Ralari destroyer next to it. While the Claw was hidden, it was approached by the ConCom and Taggart suggested to use it to their advantage. He participated in a boarding operation led by Paul Gerald (who insisted he had no confidence in a mission led by a rogue and a half-breed). The Diligent docked the ship with grapples and the marines boarded the ConCom to steal fuel cells; Blair, following Taggart's guidance, recovered the NavCom stolen from the Pegasus Station. The drones were heavily damaged and could not be programmed to send a message to Tolwyn in the Sol Sector with the intelligence gathered, so Taggart suggested that Blair should be the carrier. To give him courage, he revealed his heritage as a Pilgrim. During the mission Taggart gave orders to successfully defeat a Cruiser that attacked the Claw. However Deveraux was hit while protecting the Claw from a Skipper Missile and her Rapier was stranded. Taggart boarded the Dilligent to look for her, a difficult task as she had turned off the homing signal. He found her by pure change and brought her to the hangar of the Claw. Vega Campaign On the Major Taggart usually plays the part of the sage old man considering retirement. He flew with Christopher Blair in the McAuliffe System. During the Operation: Thor's Hammer, he flew a Raptor with Blair in the Psi Wing, tasked to strike against a Supply Depot in the Bifrost system. There, they engaged a and also had the first glimpse of . Later, flying as Theta Wing, they engaged a and finally the Depot. .]] Taggert retired from active duty. However, rather than leave military life for good, he transferred to Special Operations to work as a spy and under cover operative for the Confederation. During the intervening years he participated in a number of actions, including the Ghorah Khar incident, in which the Kilrathi colonists on the planet successfully rebelled against the Empire of Kilrah. During the entire course of his service in this field, he operated out of a heavily-modified transport the . Paladin played a big part advising Admiral Tolwyn on the situation within the Enigma Sector. After the attack on K'tithrak Mang, Christopher Blair joined Paladin to participate in a number of special operations. Paladin continued to rise in prominence with the special services, eventually heading up a number of black projects designed to win the War against the Kilrathi swiftly and decisively. At the end of ''Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, he personally commanded the operation that led to the destruction of Kilrah and the end of the war, thanks to the use of the new Temblor Bomb. Taggart had recruited Angel to help him do vital re-con work for the project and he was aware of her death on Kilrah long before Blair. Paladin insisted that he withheld the truth from Blair to "protect him from himself". Taggert's prominence after that battle gave him enough political clout to where he was elected president of the Confederation's Senate by the events of Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom. Despite his numerous complaints about the political backbiting involved in the job, he proved to be an able leader, guiding the Confederation through a crisis with the Union of Border Worlds, and the attack of the Nephilim. It is likely that part of his success as a politician is due to the close ties that he still maintains with his old friends in the intelligence service. During the Nephilim wars he retired to The Residence, Dumfuirlin, Scotland, on Earth where he continued to write to his friends. Character An effective wingleader, especialy appreciated for whis wingman skills. He has a reputation for protectiveness when flying wing. Pranksters often scrape the name "Paladin" from his cockpit and replace it with "Mother Hen". Behind the scenes If Paladin dies in WC1, this is his funeral speech: *'James Taggart' is one of the most important characters appearing in all five games of the main continuity, as a senior pilot (Wing Commander), a special operative (Wing Commander II), a general (Wing Commander III), a Senator (Wing Commander IV, and in Wing Commander: Prophecy). He also has significant appearances in many of the Wing Commander novels by Mercedes Lackey, Ellen Guon and William Forstchen. *Paladin, as portrayed in WCIII, WCIV, and Prophecy, was played by John Rhys-Davies. *In Wing Commander movie, Paladin was portrayed by Tchéky Karyo. James Taggart is half-Pilgrim, like the young Christopher Blair, and his presence foreshadowed the strong influence that he and Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn would have on young Blair's future career. Category:Confederation pilots